Justice Musa Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, declined a request by the Federal Government to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over her failure to appear in court for the commencement of her defamation trial.
The government is prosecuting Akpoti-Uduaghan in a case filed on behalf of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
During Monday’s proceedings, the prosecuting counsel, David Kaswe, informed the court that the case was slated for arraignment but noted the absence of the defendant.
Kaswe told the court that the charge had been duly served on the defendant’s legal representative, arguing that the senator was fully aware of the proceedings. He subsequently urged the court to issue a bench warrant against her for failing to appear.
However, Justice Umar refused the application, allowing the matter to proceed without ordering the defendant’s arrest.
